Rod elevator



Nov. 6, 1928. 1,690,709

w. w. WILSON ROD ELEVATOR Filed Nov. 6, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 6, 1928. l690,7(')9 w. w. wlLsoNv ROD ELEVATOR ,Filed Nov. 6, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 flyw' atented Nov. l 6, 1928.

WILLIAM WEBSTER WILSON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

non nLnvAroR.

Application led November 6, 1924.

This invention has to do with hoisting elevators. and although not limited thereto, 1t is particularly applicable to elevators for lowering and raising sucker rods of deepwell pumps.

lt may be stated as the general object of the invention to provide a strong, dependable elevator which is capable ot quick application to and release from sucker rods, together with automatically acting means for holding the jaws neleasably in either closed or open position.

The device has self-closing characteristics, that is, when the elevator is thrust upon the rods, the jaws are automatically swung to and locked in rod embracing position. Ele- `vator application and locking are thus accomplished by a single movement on the part of the operator, that is, he need merely thrust the elevator. forwardly onto the rods without performing separat-e jaw closing and jaw locking operations. The locking device is of such construction and so protected that there is no danger ot it being accidentally released.

lhcn it is desired to release the elevator, the operator need merely pull on an operating handle. The initial pull trees the locking device from the jaws, and continuation of the pull swings the aws clear of the rod. lllhen the operating handle is subsequently released, the locking device automatically moves to such a position that it yieldably retains the jaws open and ready for re-application ofthe elevator. When in this position, the jaws are so enclosed that they are in no danger ot being swung to closed po sition by accidental engagement with eX- traneous bodies. Furthermore, with the jaws in this open position, the locking device cannot be moved in a manner to close them; so it is practically assured that the elevator is always in condition for immediate appli cation to work. Thus it will be seen that withdrawal from one piece of worlr automatically places the elevator in condition for immediate application to another piece of work.

lWhen it is considered that elevator application and automatic locking of -the jaws is accomplished by movement of the elevator towards the rod, and that unlocking of the jaws and withdrawal of the elevator is accomplished by a single pull of the operating handle away from the rod, and further that the jaws are yieldably retained in open posi.-

Serial No 748,004.

tion ready for re-application without the necessity of a separate manual operation, it will be readily understoodthat my device renders it 4possnble to speed up greatly the opration of raising and lowering sucker rot s.

tailed specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:r

Fig. 1 isa front elevation omy improved elevator with hoisting bailk detached, the` section through the sucker rods being taken Aat a point immediately above the elevator` jaws;

Fig. 3 is a section on line SW3 of Fig. 2, with sucker rods removed;

y Fig. 4C is a view similar to Fig. 2, except that certain parts are broken away and shown in section to expose underlying parts;

Fig 5 is a view similar to Fig. @but showing the position the parts assume when being applied to'por withdrawn from a sucker rod: and

Fig. 6 is a detached, plan view of an elevator jaw. j n

First, without going into details of c0nstruction and operation, I will describe the general character and use of my elevator. Body 10 has diametrically opposed lugs or trunnions 11 to takeL the eyes of bail 13 by which attachment is madeto the hook (not shown) of hoisting tacklefarranged over the well bore.

The elevator includes jaws 12 which may be oi identical construction and are adapted to be swung about vertical axes to and from positions of closure about usual sucker rod S.

A preferred embodiment of vmy invention will be fully described in the following deis typical et a sucker rod to have a downy wardly facing'support shoulder 14 (which is the under face of collar 15) an upwardly extending threaded projection 16. and a portion 17 of polygonal cross section for the applicati on of wrenching tools'.

llllhen the elevator is applied to the sucker rods as in Fig. 1, support shoulder 14 rests on top jaws 12, and the rod is lowered away until the elevator comes to rest on top `of the pump casing. The elevator then serves as a. supporting clamp to hold the rod suspended until a second rodis picked up by a second elevator and threadably connected to extension 16, the bail of the `first elevator being first swung to one side to expose the .bers until the entire yline is in.

top of said extension "'Thereuponthe line of sucker rods is liftedslightly, the first ele-v vator disengaged from the first rod, and the line lowered under control of the secondy elevator. Thus the two elevators are alternately used as supporting and control memln withdrawn ing sucker-rods for replacement or repair of lpump plungers, the same koperations are peioriiied inl reverse order. n f nIt will be seen that theaggregate time consumed in attachment and detachment of the elevatorsv amounts to ay very considerable' factor inthe time required to lower and raise sucker rods, and I will now Vproceedrto a 'Clt-tailed` description 'of' my improved inventionaudits operation, from which it will be 'evident how l reduce tl is' time factor to a .miniinunlny yet positively guard against accidental release of thev rods-a most important feature. H

Body-10lias a centrally disposed recess 18 i ofV the horizontal configuration' clearly illustrated yinFigs. land 5, The yopposed over-hanging" body portions 19 which deiine the top andk bottom of this recess may be ,considered'coverI plates, and theymay either be integralwith or separable from the body Qmember proper.

open 4to said bores. 7lhe defining walls 22 4of slot mouths 22a preferably incline outwardly'so sucker rods may be more readily guided tothe slots and their communicating bores. y l K Jaws l12 are within yrecess 18 andare mounted for horizontal pivotal movement about' the platesupported pins 23, Prefer ably these pinsgare inline withtrunnions 11 and bores 20, and arefequispaced from they center ofrbody 10. The'opposedzfaces of the jaws have' rodfreceiving notches 24 which are preferably compleinentarily arc- 'uate, and7 when the jaws are swung 'to `the Y rod embracing position of Fig. 4, the notches "are adapted' to'define a circular openingof a diameter 'substantially equal to or slightly larger than that of the sucker rods. Jawsy 12 may be considered L-shaped members, the

. legs 25k of which areslot-closing terminals,

and tl'ielegs 26 of which are adapted. tocoact with'` the/locking device7 now to be described. Lock plunger 2Zfis adapted to slide i throughway`28., the axis of which is substantially perpendicularto and midway between the lpivotal a'Xes of thel jaws. The plunger has collar29 and'terminates in avcoaXial cone'or wedge 30, though this cone is not essential to the invention in its broader aspects.v Annular shoulder 31 is adapted to engage the body wall 10a for limiting the retrac e movementV of the plunger and the outer end o the plunger extends with sliding fit through bore 32 of handle or knob 33, the handlebeing counterboi'ed at SI1 to re- `coi-fe plunger head 35.

ein expansive coil spring k36 enciicles plunger/27 between collar 29 and wall 107 plunger `Ainwa.idly to theeXtended positions. of if l and 5.

rillie two vjaws have identical shoulder ar-` rangements, and lwill describe certain relationships which existbetween' these various shoulders although it will be Tunderstood that it lies within the scope of my invention yin its broader aspects and as setforth in certain of my claims to change certain of these relatioiishipsor even to eliminate certain of the shoulders. The end shoulders a of terminals 25 are adapted to engage one 'thus exerting a constant tendency tobias the another to establish they closed position of ther jaws (F Shoulders of legs 26 are ada ted to eno'affe one another to estab- 1 C b lish the full open position rof the jaws. I

, vwill therefore term shoulders a and I) limit v since they limitthe extent of jaw shoulderf j oscillation Legs 26,` where ythey extend below line of centers C when the jaws are full open (Fig. 5) may be relieved at b so they` will not interlock to Vhold the jaws open in 'the erent there isl insuiiieient play Abetween i the jaws and their pins to 'prevent such interlocking. N ow it lies within the scope of certainof my claims to providemeans other than coacting shouldersonthe jaws for thus limiting jaw oscillation (for instance, the

`jaw legs may engage the defining walls. of

recess 418) but the abutting shoulder a1'- rangeinent just described is a preferable conf struction, and l will therefore describe the rest or the jaw shoulders in their` association with shoulders t andnZ). Thrust shoulders t? are perpendicularto limit shoulders Z so when-these limit shoulders are in engagement- (Fig. 5) the under face of plunger collar 29 is .thrust into Vengagement with shoulders 0 and yieldably retains the Ajaws in n full open position. jaw shoulders l and thrust shoulders o are substantially equal to vthe exterior angle between cone 30 and collar 29^so7 when the aws arevfull open, shoulder cl engages the cone fac It will be noted that when the jaws are fully/open, terminals25 are within recessr 18 and clear of slots 21 so there is no danger of the jaws being swung to elosedpositionby engagement between said terminals and eX- eous bodies.

The angles between 'llovwfassume the jaws are open and the elevator is about tobe yapplied to sucker rod rThe elevatorl is thrust bodilyk lll towards the rod so the latter slips through slots 2l into the elevator bore It will be understood that elevator application is made suiliciently low on the rods to clear rod collar l5. Then the rodstrikes jaw legs 26, the jaws are automatically swung to closed position about the rods. Legs 26, during initial jaw' movement, thrust plunger 27.

to retracted position against the action of spring 36. lVhen the jaws are in theirI full closed position, as established by engagement of limit shoulders a, spring 36 urges the plunger inwardly until-the under face of collar 29 engages thrust shoulders e which are perpendicular to said shoulders af. The angles between shoulders and e are substantially equal to the exterior angle between cone 30 and collar 29 so the cone lies between opposite shoulders Z in the manner illust-rated in F ig. 4f.

lll/Then the jaws are thus 'fully closed and plunger 27 fully extended, the peripheral i'ace of collar 29 engages lock shoulders-f (perpendicular to thrust shoulders c and therefore parallel to limit shoulders d) and prevents subsequent accidental rotation ot the jaws to open position. Thus it will be vseen that a single thrust of the elevatoragainst the rod has served to close and automatically lock the jaws about the rod. The elevator may then be lifted until the tops of jaws l2 engage rod shoulder 14:, rod collar l5 then lying within bore 2O of upper. plate l9to aid in preventing lateral displacement of the rod relative to the elevator.

llllien it is desired to detach the device, the elevator is iirst lowered (or they rod is raised) suilieiently to clear collar from bore 20. This position is shown inV Fig. 1. Then the operator pulls on handle 33 with the initial eiiectthat plunger 27 is retracted against the action oli spring 36 and collar 29 is freed from loch shoulders f. A continued pull on handle 33 causes engagement between plunger shoulder 3l and wall 10a and consequently causes withdrawal of body l0 trom rod S, jaws l2 swinging to openr position during the lateral mcvementof the body l0 since pins 23 move with the body while jaw legs must drag around rod S. When the elevator is entirely clear of the rod, the operator releases his hold on handle 33 with the result that spring 36 returns plunger 27 and handle 33 to the position of Fig. 5, collar 29 engaging thrust shoulder c 'to hold the jaws yieldably in open position and ready 'tor immediate reapplication of the elevator. Cone 30 may be so proportioned and angled that, in the return of plunger- 2T to extended position, it spreadsrjaws 1Q, slightly more than does rod S in its outwardV passage between the jaws. llVhen the jaws are swung to closed position, cone 30 serves to pilot collar 29 positively to locking position even though there may be looseness `between way 28fand plunger 27 or in the pivotal mounting .of the jaws.

`ln describing the application of the elevator to work, it 'was stated that body 1l was thrust towards the rod.- Now even-if the operator be grasping .and thrusting against handle at the time ot' application,

`the mechanism functions automatically to close and lock about the rod as described and without the exertion of back pressure on the handle. This isv for the reason that when 'the ilun'ger 537 is retracted by the thrust of jaws l2 it is capable of relative longitudinal movement with respect to handle 33 so said handle may be kept in cont-act with body l0 while plunger head 35 travels through counterbore 34. The depth of the counterbore Lis preferably` such that head 35 does not protrude beyond the end of handle 33 at any period of plunger movement. This provision not only prevents interference between tlie `plunger head and the operators handbut also prevents the exposure of the reserve to myself all such changes as may lie within the scope of the appended claims. Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim:

l. In an elevator, the combination ofa bodymember, two opposed jaws pivotally mounted on the body member and movable on their pivotal centers to open and close the elevator whereby rods may be inserted in f and withdrawn from the elevator, a plunger slidably mounted on the body member, spring means Vadapted to urge the plunger in one direction to engage and hold the aws in selected position, a handle on the plunger land capable of limited longitudinal movenient with respect thereto, said spring means being adapted to hold the handle and plunger yieldably against relative movement, said handlebeing adapted to be actuated to slide the plunger in the opposite direction against the action of said spring and thereby to release it from holding engagement with the jaws; and closing movement oi said `jaws being adapted to slide the plunger through the handle and out of holding position against action oit said spring. 2. An elevator including a body, a rod encircling element pivoted on the body and swinging between open and closed positions, said elements having two parts at opposite lSll ` position, and an operating handle movable` in opposite directions, bearing on the body," n

`have hereunto subscribecl'my name this 27th position so that` it may be struckby thev rofl to Inove the element to closed position, a ,spring pressed boltadapted to engageancl hold the elementv n either-closed or open on movement in :one direction and on the bolt when inoved'ln the othei` direction.

`3. An elevator including a body, a vroel enclrcllngrelement movably mounted on the ,bodyandinovablebetween closed and open positions,r a spring piesseclk bolt acting,` on the' element to lock it iin Closed position, and Va movable operatinghandlefor retlacting l the bolt, saicl'elementbeing movable from @pento locked Conditionwvithont movement of the handle. o o

ln Witnessthat l claim lthe foregoing I f kclay of Qctober, 1924.

' WILLIAMWEBSTR WLeoN. 

